Appeal 2007-1170
Application 10/971,698
length of the apertures, when there were more than one) was 440 mm in
order to obtain a uniform deposition over a 300 mm long deposition region.
(Freeman 013 at 9:[122].) Freeman 013 discloses further that the baffles
were 20 mm wide and spaced 2 mm from the cover. (Freeman 013
at 9:[123].) Thus, taking the lateral dimensions of the container to be
slightly larger than the baffle (to permit the vapor to reach the apertures and
to permit easy access and manipulation of the components), we may obtain
an estimate of the minimum value of the ratio of the container volume to the
baffle-to-cover volume. Because Freeman 013 discloses in Example 3 that
the container was filled to a level 2×b of 25 mm (Freeman 013 at 10[136]),
the container must be at least 25 mm high, and we obtain a minimum
container volume (converting to cm) of
Lc × Wc × Hc = 44 × 2 × 2.5 = 220 cm3.
The baffle-to-cover volume is
Lb × Wb × Hbc = 44 × 2 × 0.2 = 17.6 cm3.
The minimum ratio of volumes is then:
Lc × Wc × Hc = (220/17.6) = 12.5.
Lb × Wb × Hbc
It is evident by inspection that, given fixed lengths and widths of the
container and baffle, and a fixed baffle-to-cover distance, the ratio of
volumes is directly proportional to the height of the container. Thus, we
have no difficulty dismissing Freeman's objection that the references, in
particular, Spahn, teach only relations among linear dimensions of the
container and the baffle. We must, of course, assume a level of ordinary
13
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